


Goodbye Past

by CloverHouraisan



Series: Super Danganronpa 2 Reimagined [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Island Mode (Dangan Ronpa), Light Angst, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Power Play, Rimming, Spoilers, Super Dangan Ronpa 2: Dangan Island - Kokoro Tokonatsu Kokoronpa, Topping from the Bottom, sorta mile high club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-10 22:36:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15301554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloverHouraisan/pseuds/CloverHouraisan
Summary: After escaping the Neo World Program and spending a year trying to find normalcy in their lives again, Hajime and Fuyuhiko act on a year-old promise to return to the real life Jabberwock Island to give their fallen friends proper burials.  Along the way, they think back on the killing game and make new discoveries about themselves.  How will they navigate the dredged-up memories of past tragedies?





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> There's a ton of spoilers for the SDR2 end, so be careful. I also want to note that this story is part of a series where I try to reimagine both the main story and Dangan Island as true events, so there are certain elements of what actually happens in canon that I took some creative license with. Purists, this is your last chance to turn back. If you really hate seeing people reimagine the canon plot, I encourage you to go and compliment someone else's work that you like more instead of saying something you might regret later. I repeat, purists, this is your LAST CHANCE. Don't say I didn't warn you, because I just did. 
> 
> Now, onto all the content warnings. I have indicated that this story includes major character death because the several chapters of this story are dedicated to remembering the characters who died in the killing school trip. There is no death or murder in the present time. All deaths that are mentioned are from the past during the main story of SDR2. I don't think there's anything else that could be considered warning-worthy other than some gay sex (more on that later), so enjoy. I repeat for all sensitive individuals in the back: this is your last chance to back out and say something nice to someone else who writes in a style that you like before saying something you might regret later. I repeat: don't say I didn't warn you about anything. I just did.

Hajime woke up, his body feeling surprisingly heavy and unwieldy.  He was slightly disappointed to be in his own bedroom because he somewhat missed the island cottages of the virtual world.  However, no matter how heavy his body felt, Hajime couldn't do anything but get out of bed, even if it was 5:45 AM on a Sunday.  Today was going to be one of the most important days of his life.  Today, he was about to fulfill a promise he had made to his other friends who lived to see the end of the twisted Neo World Program with him right before they returned to reality.  He planned to revisit the real-life Jabberwock Island and give proper burials for the friends (and other colleagues who may not have been so friendly, but were still important to him) that were lost in the process.  While the whole process was going to be a group effort, it became abundantly clear that that was going to be hard.  Even though Hajime had pushed for all of them to stay on the real Jabberwock Island and do it immediately, everybody had real lives to attend to.  Sonia had to return to her homeland of Novoselic to serve her people once again, Kazuichi wanted to start taking aerospace engineering classes, and Akane wanted to participate in another gymnastics tournament to keep supporting her family.  In the end, Fuyuhiko had to call a family member to take all of them back to Japan after the Future Foundation left.  However, this meant that the task of properly honoring the lives of their classmates was now in the hands of Fuyuhiko and Hajime, the only two without solid plans after their return to the real world.  It was almost too convenient that Fuyuhiko was the only one without a pressing time commitment since Hajime had gotten closest with him between all of the other personalities around him in the virtual killing game.  On top of that, they undertook a brotherhood cup ritual to formalize their bond and swore to escape their shared hell together.  Now that they had made good on that promise, Hajime wanted to see what the world had to offer him and Fuyuhiko, and the first big step in that journey was literally laying the past to rest.  Following a quick shower, Hajime put on some dark jeans and a brightly colored graphic tee before taking his phone and wallet and heading to his front door, and like clockwork, there was a nondescript dark colored van waiting in the driveway for him.  Seconds later, he received a text message from Fuyuhiko.  
  
_"Ordered you a ride.  You'll be coming to the family HQ before we go to Jabberwork Island.  We're taking a private jet."_  
  
Hajime smiled.  He was proud to see Fuyuhiko in complete control of the situation.  He hastily wrote a reply back to him.  
  
_"Great.  Did you want to eat before we left, or is that not a problem either?"_  
  
A moment of silence, then one more reply.  
  
_"We're calling in a favor from our pilot's friend to get food throughout the flight.  Don't worry about it.  It's not gonna be that usual horse shit they serve on planes."_  
  
Hajime locked up the house and got into the car, his visage disappearing behind a tinted window.  Once the driver seemed to confirm that this was the right guy that he was supposed to transport, he gave Hajime a blindfold.  Once Hajime put it on, the driver started driving.  Hajime couldn't see any of his surroundings, but it didn't really matter anyway.  He knew where it was going to go in the end.  After a short drive, the driver let Hajime take off his blindfold before escorting him into the building that Fuyuhiko's family called its main base of operation.  After multiple identity checks, Hajime was finally ready to meet up with Fuyuhiko.  It was going to be the first time they were going to see each other face-to-face since the end of the killing game.  Despite all the phone and text communication, it felt more satisfying to be able to physically be present with each other.  Surely enough, at their predetermined time of 10:30 AM, Fuyuhiko arrived in the hallway dressed in a nice black suit with a black fedora.  As much as Fuyuhiko hated being anything but tough, Hajime couldn't deny how cute he looked.  Hajime could feel himself blushing, but he hoped that the lighting was bad enough such that nobody would know.  
  
"Hey." Fuyuhiko broke the silence.  "I... didn't think you'd come."  
  
"Well, I intended to keep that promise I made to all of you before we escaped the virtual world.  I do pride myself on being straightforward with who I am and what I do." Hajime replied.  "How have you been doing since we left?"  
  
"It's kinda hard to get back into the groove of my life after being away for so long.  Even now, I'm still struggling a little bit.  But y'know, life finds a way." Fuyuhiko replied.  "Never thought we'd get here, huh?"  
  
"I... suppose." Hajime hesitated a second.  "I'm not even sure if I'm ready to revisit those times again."  
  
"It'll be all right." Fuyuhiko clapped Hajime on the back for effect.  "As your brother, I'm gonna be there for you no matter what."  
  
"R-Right...  Thanks." Hajime thought back fondly on the bond they had forged on the virtual island.  "Are you ready to leave?  We should probably get there as soon as possible.  I don't know if there's been any more development on the real life island than what we saw in the virtual world."  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready." Fuyuhiko checked his watch.  "We're heading to a private hangar my dad bought off of a friend.  I wanna give you the full experience of traveling with the Kuzuryu clan."  
  
"All right.  Let's go." Hajime said.  "Let's put this nightmare to rest.  For good."  
  
"Y-Yeah..." Fuyuhiko's voice got quieter all of a sudden.  Hajime looked concerned, unconsciously moving to hold his hand.  Fuyuhiko almost slapped him away from surprise, but he stopped himself after he remembered who it was that was holding his hand.  His face was starting to heat up.  One of Fuyuhiko's bodyguards motioned for them to follow him, and Hajime started walking.  They were taken to an elevator at the end of the hall, and the bodyguard pushed the button for the lowest floor.  A few minutes later, they were in a parking garage.  Sure enough, the van that brought Hajime in was waiting for them.  Two men were already sitting in the front seat and the driver's seat, and there were more Kuzuryu henchmen waiting to help the young boss and his friend into the van.  They gave Hajime another blindfold, and once the doors were closed, the driver was signalled that he was good to go.  He started up the engine, and after a few minutes spent to blindfold Hajime, they were on their way.  After about a half-hour, Hajime was told that he could take off the blindfold since they were far enough away from the main building so that he couldn't find his way back.  Hajime looked over at Fuyuhiko, who seemed to be deep in thought.  Although his eyes were still a little bleary from the influx of light, Hajime knew all too well about what was on Fuyuhiko's mind.  Even though the other subsequent tragedies on Jabberwock Island quickly replaced the one that claimed Peko's life in the survivors' minds, for Fuyuhiko, losing Peko was a much deeper cut than all of the other atrocities he had to bear witness to after that.  From talking to Peko, Hajime knew that logically, it should have been her in his place with Fuyuhiko right now.  He felt bad that he couldn't help her achieve her goal of getting closer to him, but because of the way graduation from the program worked after Junko's interference, it couldn't be helped.  After all, the Future Foundation did tell the survivors that bringing anyone back would have a slim-to-none chance of actually working.  Even though Hajime had resolved to find a way himself, he quickly realized that he needed more help than just the other four survivors.  For now, his plans for bringing the others back were on hold until he could find a good enough data miner who could retrieve everyone else without potentially reawakening Junko.  All of a sudden, Hajime remembered something.  He now had access to the Kuzuryu clan for their help too in befriending Fuyuhiko.  It was likely that his family had connections with people who were good at technology, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.  
  
"Hey, Fuyuhiko," he said.  "Do you or your relatives know anyone who's good with computers and data mining?"  
  
It took Fuyuhiko a while to respond since he was still thinking about Peko, but he eventually caught on.  
  
"Yeah.  My uncle hired this guy from Aoyama to get dirt on some shady loan shark from another clan who tried to con his son out of his college money." Fuyuhiko replied.    
  
"H-How did that go?" Hajime was hesitant to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him.  
  
"We had some friend of ours submit it to the cops, and they were on him like flies to a heap of horse shit." Fuyuhiko seemed proud of what had happened.  "Why're you asking about that?"  
  
"I was thinking about how the Neo Life Program worked, and I was wondering if we could get someone to data mine the game for our friends and reupload their memories to their real life bodies." Hajime said.  "If the five of us were able to wake up and make our own futures back then, we should be able to help them with theirs."  
  
"Sounds great and all, but what's your plan on getting the program data in the first place?" Fuyuhiko asked.  "Isn't it highly confidential or some shit like that?"  
  
"Why not just ask the foundation itself?" Hajime asked.  "I want to call Makoto Naegi and ask if we can bring a data mining team to the Future Foundation's main building to scrub the program for our friends and use their facilities to bring them back just like what happened to us."  
  
"A team, you say?" Fuyuhiko thought a little bit more deeply on Hajime's suggestion.  "I'm sure we know enough people among the family to put together something.  I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Thanks." Hajime said.  "Do you think what the Future Foundation said about bringing people back was really true?  That's it's almost impossible...?"  
  
"I dunno.  Sounds like a whole bunch of computer science bullshit if you ask me.  I can't say if it's hard or not to do that." Fuyuhiko has a solemn expression on his face.  "But if we wanna make it happen, we gotta believe that it'll happen, y'know?"  
  
"You're right.  I'll just leave it to you." Hajime turned back to face the front of the vehicle.  It was now Fuyuhiko's turn to look on at his friend's distressed expression.  Deciding he ultimately wanted to do something about it beyond talking Hajime through his feelings, Fuyuhiko silently moved to the seat next to Hajime and snuggled up against him.  His face and ears were a bright pink color, and although he looked slightly put out, he was enjoying every moment of closeness with Hajime.  Seeing Fuyuhiko nestled up against him, Hajime gently looped his arm behind his neck and pulled him closer by the shoulder.  When they first became friends, Fuyuhiko was suspicious of physical contact, especially from other men.  Where he came from, physical contact from another man not involved with the family meant one of two things: death or kidnapping.  Usually, other men in the yakuza were armed with easily concealable knives or pistols, so a moment of close physical contact was usually meant to restrain someone else for a killing strike.  If not that, then the intruding party usually had a handkerchief soaked with a sedative drug intended to knock the target out to stage a kidnapping.  This tactic intended to coerce an enemy group into giving up money or resources in exchange for the hostage's safe return.  However, after having been with Hajime for some time, Fuyuhiko figured out a solution for his difficulty with receiving romantically intended physical contact.  Instead of receiving, he chose to initiate most physical contact with Hajime.  That way, he could ease his family's concerns while not having to hide his feelings.  Fuyuhiko and Hajime's relationship was undoubtedly strange.  They both mutually agreed to keep romance out of the picture during the killing game, but as the people thinned out, they became increasingly aware of the comfort they found in each other.  Hajime was open to the idea that this new feeling was love, whereas Fuyuhiko wasn't so sure.  He still held fairly strong feelings for Peko, and he didn't think it was fair to use Hajime as a rebound guy.  In the end, he resolved that until he figured out his feelings, he wouldn't pursue a romantic relationship with Hajime.  The road ahead of them was undoubtedly going to be hard, but as long as they had each other, they were going to be okay.  Fuyuhiko found himself quickly falling asleep against Hajime for the rest of the trip to the hangar.  
  
Before long, the van arrived at the aircraft hangar.  Hajime gently woke Fuyuhiko, and they disembarked, flanked by Kuzuryu henchmen in all cardinal directions.  They approached a shiny black mid-sized passenger aircraft with no remarkable decorations on it.  The doors opened, and the henchmen stood aside to let Hajime and Fuyuhiko board.  Hajime was awestruck at the interior of the plane.  All of the seats were finely upholstered in expensive-looking leather, and some were arranged as a circular booth with a huge round poker table in the center.  There was another area with highly luxurious first-class suites.  They included a fully enclosed bedroom that had a queen-sized bed with a trundle for guests, a recliner, a TV, virtual windows, and a desk among other things.  There were only four of these rooms on this plane, which was nowhere near enough for a typical passenger aircraft, but enough for Fuyuhiko's immediate family to use as a private aircraft.  Behind these suites were two suite-sized rooms with a shower on the left side and a steam room on the right side.  The remaining space in the back of the plane featured four eight-seat rows of economy plus-style seats intended for the henchmen.  They were basically coach class seats with more leg room.  The kind of luxury seen in the family suites was something Hajime had only seen in airline ads, and to experience it personally was truly mind-blowing.  Fuyuhiko invited Hajime over to the poker table as the door shut behind them.  
  
"This is amazing...!" Hajime commented.  "I had no idea that your family had access to this."  
  
"That's what happens when you do the right favors." Fuyuhiko grinned.  "Being in the yakuza isn't just about guns and cigars.  You gotta know your way around the economy as well."  
  
"What does this have to do with who you bought this plane off of?" Hajime scratched his head.  
  
"Oh yeah.  It was a gift from my aunt's friend.  The guy works for the same company who builds planes for Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and other high rollers, and we got the hook-up after we saved his son from a hostage situation with another group." Fuyuhiko explained.  "The plane itself is discreet enough to not be easily identified by other groups, but just flashy enough to show that it's not from the scrap heap."  
  
"Gotcha." Hajime nodded.  "How long do you think it'll be?"  
  
"The flight?  I dunno.  I'd say 8-10 hours since according to that Togami guy, Jabberwock Island is actually somewhat close to Hawaii." Fuyuhiko replied.  "You hungry or thirsty yet?"  
  
"Yeah, actually." Hajime forgot that he hadn't had breakfast for the day, so his hunger hit pretty suddenly.  "Should we eat before or after takeoff?"  
  
"After, I think.  We're going to take off soon anyway.  Take one of the family suites.  As my sworn brother, you're part of the family now, so make yourself at home." Fuyuhiko made his way to the family suites, and Hajime followed.  As they strapped into their recliners, Hajime had to deter the temptation to lean back and immediately relax for fear of injuring his neck or head from the sudden jolts produced by takeoff.  Once the plane was off the ground and traveling stably, Fuyuhiko invited Hajime back to the poker table again.  Hajime sat next to Fuyuhiko, and one of the henchmen was present to take drink orders.  Fuyuhiko asked for sparkling water, and Hajime asked for a ginger beer.  Within minutes, two opened bottles were produced from the front of the plane.  Fuyuhiko raised his.  
  
"To us.  Not just you and me, but Sonia, Kazuichi, Akane, and everyone who died as well." Fuyuhiko made a toast.  
  
"Yeah.  Let the memories of the lives Monokuma—no, Junko—took not be in vain." Hajime added, touching his bottle with Fuyuhiko's before taking a drink.  The ginger beer was strong.  It burned on its way down, but it wasn't necessarily a bad burn.  Soon enough, a silence fell over the room as they sat and drank in each other's presence while enjoying their beverages.  A few minutes later, more henchmen arrived with the food that Fuyuhiko was talking about.  They had prepared sliced rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and various vegetables along with some bread for sandwiches.  They ate in relative silence save for the noise of the engine and the air whipping around the plane.  
  
"Fuyuhiko," Hajime suddenly broke the silence.  "I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but what are we?"  
  
"Uhh... human?" Fuyuhiko answered, confused.  "I don't understand."  
  
"No, I meant it as in 'What's our relationship?'" Hajime elaborated.  
  
"We're sworn brothers, obviously." Fuyuhiko replied.  "Is this about that or something else?"  
  
"Something else.  It goes beyond brotherhood." Hajime's face flushed.  Fuyuhiko still looked confused for a little before he realized what Hajime could possibly be insinuating, at which point he began blushing as well.  
  
"Want to talk more about it later?  The atmosphere's already pretty heavy." Fuyuhiko asked.  
  
"You have a point, I guess." Hajime said, a little disappointed.  "Let's change the subject for now."  
  
With that, they moved on to talking about something more lighthearted.  The rest of the flight carried on, and before they knew it, the henchmen were telling them to prepare for landing.  The Jabberwock Airport was minutes away, and they were coming in hot, according to the pilot.  Fuyuhiko took Hajime to his suite, strapped Hajime into the recliner, and braced himself on the desk as the plane touched down and taxied to the gate.  Before they knew it, it was time to face what had happened in the past head-on. 

* * *

The henchmen exited first once the plane came to a complete stop, escorting Fuyuhiko and Hajime out of the airport and onward to the beach.  To their surprise, they could see a few people off in the distance as they walked down the shore.  Fuyuhiko's henchmen immediately prepared for battle, making sure their knives or pistols were within easy reach yet trying not to make what they were doing seem obvious.  As they proceeded towards the other group, Fuyuhiko told them to lower or put away their weapons.  He recognized them immediately as the other three survivors.  
  
"They are here!" Hajime could hear Sonia off in the distance.  "Come!  We must greet them!"  
  
Before long, the other group was walking towards them.  They met a few yards away from where Sonia's beach umbrella was set up.  
  
"What're you guys doing here?" Fuyuhiko asked.  "Didn't you say you had responsibilities to take care of right now?"  
  
"We did have responsibilities to take care of." Sonia said.  "But they were finished much quicker than we anticipated."  
  
"Also, looking back, it probably wasn't fair to force you guys to do it for us." Kazuichi added.  "They're our friends as much as they're your friends, y'know?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Akane chewed on a meat bun.  "Anyway, we're ready when you are."  
  
"Guys..." Hajime was at a loss for words.  "Thank you so much.  It means a lot that we can do this together."  
  
"We managed to take a tour around the archipelago, and everything seems pretty unchanged from what it was in the game world." Sonia said.  "Also, before we begin, I would like to ask a favor of you, Hajime."  
  
"What is it?" Hajime was curious as to what Sonia was going to ask.  
  
"Would you be willing to help us get an audience with the Future Foundation?" Sonia asked.  Hajime hesitated.  He wasn't expecting to have to call them this soon.  
  
"What do you need them for?" Hajime asked.  
  
"We've been thinking that maybe there's a chance for us to recover everyone else." Akane explained.  "All we really did was shut off the program, not erase it, right?"  
  
"Hajime and I were thinking something similar." Fuyuhiko added.  "Maybe if someone was good enough at data mining, we could go in and get our friends without waking up that freakish Junko AI."  
  
"And that's why we need the Future Foundation's help." Kazuichi explained.  "Maybe they've got some people like that."  
  
"Very well.  I'll talk to them." Hajime answered.  "But I will warn you that I don't think our prospects are very good.  For one thing, I don't know how willing they are to involve themselves in the Neo Life Program again if their only involvement was spurred on by emergency.  Second, we might have a better chance if we actually have our own team rather than leeching onto the Future Foundation's resources.  Fuyuhiko wanted to see if any of his family knew some data miners who could make this process easier and potentially give us more leeway to pursue this matter ourselves if the Future Foundation won't help us."  
  
"That is also important to consider, I suppose." Sonia added.  "In any case, we do not need to contact them right this second, because that is not why we are here.  Let us begin the memorial service at once."  
  
"R-Right..." Hajime said, unconsciously holding Fuyuhiko's hand.  The young boss turned a little red, but he didn't force Hajime to let go.  He was all too aware of the pain in his heart because he and everyone else standing with them shared that pain.  
  
"We will meet in Jabberwock Park when all preparations are complete.  I will be plotting out land for our little cemetery, and each of you will help gather materials." Sonia seemed strangely determined for such an informal funeral.  She started divvying out tasks to everyone in attendance.  She asked Akane to find large stones for headstones, Hajime to find flowers to decorate each grave, Fuyuhiko to search for sticks to support the headstones, and Kazuichi to scrounge around for writing utensils of any form.  Once they dispersed, Sonia traveled to the park on her own.  She busied herself with marking out each grave with smaller stones, giving each person adequate space for an urn and maybe some personal belongings to be placed.  It seemed like everyone would be in for a long day.


	2. Remembrance

Fuyuhiko and Hajime ended up pairing up to find what Sonia asked them to find.  Their objects seemed similar enough such that they could likely be found in the same places.  There were some wooded areas towards the eastern end of the beach island where everyone first met up, and Fuyuhiko seemed to have no trouble at all finding fallen branches that could be carved into support beams for the headstones.  On the other hand, Hajime was having an unusually hard time finding the flowers he needed.  
  
"Seriously, you'd think on a tropical island that there'd be more flowers around here.  Maybe this beach isn't the best place to look." Hajime wiped some sweat off of his forehead.  
  
"We haven't even gone into the jungle yet." Fuyuhiko deadpanned.  "We've still got a lot of ground to cover."  
  
Fuyuhiko reached into his jacket pocket and brandished a dagger.  
  
"We're going to go together." Fuyuhiko grabbed Hajime's hand.  "Now that I've got what I need, I can help you."  
  
"Well...  A-All right.  Thanks." Hajime stood up again, taking Fuyuhiko's sticks from him to free both of his hands.  The young boss led Hajime through the greenery of the jungle behind the beach.  A few minutes of slashing vines and shrubs away later, they ended up in a clearing with a pond.  There were countless beautiful lotus flowers floating on the surface of the water.  Undeterred by even the possibility of danger lurking in and around the water, Fuyuhiko went on ahead, cutting a few of the larger flowers with his knife and returning to Hajime with them.  
  
"There we go.  This should be enough for everyone." Fuyuhiko held the flowers in his arms considering how big lotus blossoms were in comparison to most land-bound flowers.  
  
"Thanks, Fuyuhiko.  You really helped me out a lot there." Hajime said.  They locked eyes for a brief second, taking stock of the situation that just played out.  Hajime was the first to start blushing before Fuyuhiko followed suit.  
  
"This is... kinda romantic, you know?  Taking me to a beautiful pond, picking flowers for me and whatnot.  It's kinda cheesy." Hajime chuckled.  
  
"I was just helping you find flowers." Fuyuhiko's face burned even more.  "D-Don't think too much on it."  
  
"You seem like you have something on your mind." Hajime said matter-of-factly.  "What's wrong?"  
  
"Do you have a minute?  I wanna talk to you now that we're alone." Fuyuhiko's expression turned serious.  "It's about what we talked about on the plane."  
  
"You mean about our relationship?" Hajime made his guess about what Fuyuhiko meant.  "You kinda left me hanging there."  
  
"Yeah, that." Fuyuhiko locked eyes with Hajime.  "I think I can answer you now."  
  
"Now that I remember me asking that question, I want to tell you something about that too.  Can we say it at the same time?" Hajime asked.  Fuyuhiko nodded.  They both took a breath before they spoke.  
  
"I think I'm in love with you." They said at the same time.  They looked at each other in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had happened for a minute.  The flowers and sticks fell to the ground from shock.  
  
"Y-You first." Fuyuhiko said, struggling to keep eye contact with Hajime.  
  
"I've been in love with you ever since we first met.  At first, you were so tough and guarded that I thought I couldn't break through.  Once you let me in, you became my closest friend apart from Chiaki." Hajime had trouble holding his emotions back.  "I knew that Peko liked you and you cared about her, so I initially felt wrong about expressing my feelings to you, especially while you were grieving.  However, I can't hold my feelings back any longer.  I know I probably can't fill the hole in your heart Peko left, but I want to at least support you wholeheartedly for the rest of my life."  
  
"Hajime," Fuyuhiko struggled holding back his emotions too.  "To tell the truth, I... wasn't sure about this.  It's true that I care for Peko.  But I care about you too, Hajime.  Where I would've hoped Peko would survive and support me after the second trial, you came and did it without a second thought after she died.  I don't know how I can repay you.  If it weren't for you...  I might have gone insane, and...  I might not be here with you right now."  
  
"F-Fuyuhiko..." Hajime's voice was full of anguish at the thought of Fuyuhiko committing a murder as a result of mental breakage.  His body felt cold all over, trembling in the same way he did when Chiaki accepted her fate after Nagito's death and subsequent trial.  He couldn't handle the idea of more death brought on by psychological trauma.  He already lost Mikan to her psychoses when she killed Ibuki and Hiyoko and was found out.  Even thinking about losing someone else to their internal demons was enough to deeply disturb Hajime after what he, Fuyuhiko, and the other three survivors underwent.  
  
"Look at me, Hajime." Fuyuhiko grabbed Hajime by his shoulders.  It pained him to see the normally composed Hajime a hair away from breaking down.  He took Hajime into his arms, sorely wishing that he could be big and bulky like Nidai was so he could make Hajime feel protected and safe.  "We made a pact, remember?  We're sworn brothers for life.  No matter what life does to us, we'll always have each other's backs.  Don't ever forget that.  What could've been isn't real.  Just look at me, standing beside you, right here and now."  
  
Fuyuhiko made sure they had a few minutes to look at each other before going in for a kiss on the lips.  He tasted the remnants of ginger beer and chicken on Hajime's lips, but the odd combination didn't bother him too much.  Hajime kissed him back fervently, eating up every second of sweet physical contact voraciously.  For a while, they forgot about the responsibilities Sonia had thrust upon them, ascending into pure shared bliss.  After a few minutes, they pulled away from each other, looking into each other's eyes again.  
  
"You're pretty good.  You've been with other guys before?" Fuyuhiko asked.  
  
"N-No.  That was my first kiss." Hajime replied.  "Thanks for making it memorable."  
  
"No problem." Fuyuhiko grinned.  "I guess that makes us more than brothers now."  
  
"Y-Yeah." Hajime ruffled Fuyuhiko's hair.  "It's weird... but satisfying to finally call you my boyfriend, Fuyuhiko."  
  
"I kinda like it." Fuyuhiko chuckled.  His attention then turned to the sticks and flowers on the floor, and his smile dampened a little.  "Aw, shit."  
  
"What's wrong?" Hajime took only a moment to realize what Fuyuhiko was talking about when he saw the pile of sticks and flowers spread out between them.  Several of the blossoms were destroyed underneath the sticks.  "Oh, fuck me."  
  
"Don't worry.  There's a lot of flowers there, so I can cut up a few more if you need them.  Just pick the sticks back up, and I'll get us some more flowers." Fuyuhiko carefully stepped around the edge of the pond, cutting more lotus blossoms while Hajime gathered the makeshift support beams off of the ground.  Once they had everything they needed, they hurried back to the park, hoping they didn't keep Sonia waiting for too long.

* * *

Hajime and Fuyuhiko were the last people to arrive back to their makeshift graveyard.  Sonia had finished marking out each grave with small stones and was digging shallow holes for each of the headstones to sit in.  Akane was sifting through the stones she found, picking out the best candidates for headstones and handing them to Kazuichi, who labeled the top center portion of each one with a name to represent who it would be for.  He thankfully had some permanent markers in his pockets left over from making measurements on wood and metal, so he didn't have to search for writing materials around the park or the cottages at all.  Each stone was about the size of a small plate with minor variances in size and shape.  It took Sonia a while to notice that Fuyuhiko and Hajime had returned.  
  
"You are late!" Her cheeks puffed out a little in mild irritation.  "What took you so long?"  
  
"I had to take Hajime into the jungle to find some good flowers.  Had to cut a path to and from our collection spot too." Fuyuhiko explained.  "And look at what we found.  Lotus blossoms as far as they eye could see."  
  
Sonia's eyes lit up when she took a look at the lotus flowers in Fuyuhiko's arms.  Whatever frustration at their tardiness she had before was now gone.  
  
"These are perfect!  And where are the support beams?" Sonia asked.  
  
"They're right here." Hajime held out the branches Fuyuhiko collected.  "Fuyuhiko brought a knife with him, so we can carve them into more specific shapes as needed."  
  
"Wonderful!  Once we have picked out and labeled all of our headstones, feel free to write a message on whichever ones you want." Sonia started floating around the other work stations to assess where everyone else was.  "Keep it up!  We are almost there!"  
  
Within minutes, all preparations were complete, and every headstone had a message written on it underneath each of their deceased friends' names.  Sonia gathered everyone together, ready to lead the funeral.  
  
"Thank you so much for all of your hard work.  I think we all know how tough something like this is to do, but in order to move forward, it must be done." Sonia began.  "Let us take this moment to commemorate the lives lost in the killing game.  Hajime, you can start by placing... uhh... Byakuya Togami's headstone."  
  
Sonia walked into the group, scratching her head.  It hadn't occurred to her that that wasn't actually the real Byakuya Togami.  In fact, nobody knew his name.  Even the real Byakuya himself didn't have much to say when asked.  Hajime took the first headstone, struggling a little bit at first, but eventually figuring out which way was the right way to place it.  He gingerly placed it into the slot in the earth that Sonia dug out and took some of the branches Fuyuhiko had gathered to help prop it up.  It took quite a few thicker branches, considering the slab of stone was pretty sizeable, like the person whose life it was meant to commemorate.  
  
"Uhh... Yeah.  I didn't really write a message on that one.  I don't think anyone knew this guy very well, but I'm at least glad the real Byakuya Togami is still alive.  May this one's spirit be laid to rest." Hajime threw together a brief speech before Sonia walked up and lit a stick of incense for him to place at the grave.  He bowed with the incense for a moment before gently sticking it into the earth of the grave in front of him.  Sonia finished by putting a lotus blossom in front of the incense.  
  
"Next, Teruteru Hanamura.  Akane, if you would." Sonia stepped back from the fake Byakuya's tombstone to let Akane place Teruteru's headstone next to it.  Akane followed suit in placing the headstone and supporting it with branches.  
  
"I'm not too good at these eulogy things, so I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.  I wrote, 'Here lies Teruteru Hanamura.  May his memory live on in his cooking.'  I did go to Hanamura Diner last month, and it's run by his aunt now.  The food's pretty good, I gotta admit.  Very homey and comforting.  The guy was a bit handsy, even with other guys too, but I thought he was kinda charming, if not a bit doofy.  So yeah, rest in peace."  Akane took an incense stick from Sonia and bowed.  One more lotus flower was placed.  
  
"I think Mahiru's next." Kazuichi looked down the line of marked land.  
  
"I will deliver her eulogy and place her headstone." Sonia walked to the stack of headstones, found Mahiru's, and placed it in the earth.  
  
"'Here lies Mahiru Koizumi.  A photographer who captured not only the beauty of nature, but also the beauty of mankind.'" Sonia read off her message.  "I personally did not get as close to Mahiru as I would have liked, but even I could see that she was full of life all the way until the end.  May her spirit find peace in the afterlife."  
  
When Sonia finished with the incense and the flower, Fuyuhiko knew exactly what was next.  He had been standing quietly for the past few speeches, but as soon as Sonia spoke Peko's name, the emotions started flooding back.  
  
"Are you okay to do this?  I can do it if it's too difficult to think back on what happened." Hajime held Fuyuhiko close to him, feeling his boyfriend's body trembling in his arms.  Eventually, Fuyuhiko separated himself from Hajime.  
  
"No.  I gotta do this.  It's the only way I can start letting go." Fuyuhiko said.  "Besides... she'd probably want it that way in the first place."  
  
Fuyuhiko took Peko's headstone and placed it.  Now was the hardest part.  
  
"I-I had trouble writing something for Peko.  That's because her life can't be summed up in a sentence." Fuyuhiko addressed the group solemnly.  "Peko was more to me than just my sword.  She was my closest friend before you four.  When I was a child, Peko gave me strength that I didn't think I could have.  It's built me up to be the man I am right now.  I wish...  I wish she knew how much she was loved."  
  
Fuyuhiko tried his best to stay calm, but the outpouring of emotion was too much to handle.  He fell to his knees at Peko's new grave, sobbing just as intensely as he did right before her death.  
  
"D-Dammit!  Why didn't you reach out sooner?!  I could've saved you!  I could've... protected you..." Fuyuhiko knew his words were useless at this point, but he needed to get them out.  Hajime watched on in pity as old wounds started to tinge in pain again.  He walked to Peko's grave and gently rubbed Fuyuhiko's back.  Sonia was even starting to tear up a little bit.  A few minutes passed before Fuyuhiko's sobs died down.  
  
"I guess... that no longer matters." Fuyuhiko finally managed to get a hold of himself.  "Wherever you are right now, watch over me.  Watch me get stronger and greater than ever before.  I'll show you just how important you were to me.  And while you're at it, watch over Hajime too.  I don't want him to do anything stupid."  
  
Hajime chuckled, and everyone's questioning gazes immediately went to him.  Realizing the kinds of questions he was going to have to answer about that comment, he clammed up.  Sonia moved the proceedings along by lighting an incense stick and giving it to Fuyuhiko.  After he finished praying and decorating Peko's grave with a flower, Ibuki's headstone was next in line.  Kazuichi set it in the earth and read her eulogy, making jokes about her loud persona causing a ruckus up in the heavens.  After that was Hiyoko.  There was a long bout of awkward silence after Akane set up her headstone before Sonia decided to take it upon herself to give her a proper eulogy.  Everyone seemed to mutually agree that Hiyoko's behavior was a little off-putting, even though they respected her dedication to her art and celebrated that in her eulogy.  Hajime found himself in charge of placing Mikan's tombstone next.  
  
"'Here lies Mikan Tsumiki.  An unfortunate victim of the sickness in her heart.  May her next life be filled with love and happiness.'" Hajime finished reading his message on her headstone.  "As you can tell, I think Mikan deserved much better in life.  It pains me to think about how relentlessly she was tortured.  I... honestly really liked her.  I thought that apart from her psychoses, she was very endearing.  It's just too bad that nobody else saw that in her."  
  
Hajime finished praying and decorating Mikan's grave before moving aside for Akane to place Nidai's headstone.  Her eulogy began heartfelt and forlorn and turned strong and optimistic towards the end.  In addition to decorating his grave with a flower and the incense, she buried a pork bun under the flower to give him in the afterlife.  This left only three more people: Gundham, Nagito, and Chiaki.  Gundham's headstone was next on the list, so everyone allowed Sonia to do the honors.  She had been quiet and stony-faced ever since she delivered Hiyoko's eulogy, and when it was announced that Gundham was next, the first cracks in the facade started to show.  She seemed to be dragging her feet as she halfheartedly searched for his headstone and didn't even try to put it into the ground where she dug out a hole for it.  
  
"'Here lies... Gundham Tanaka.'" Sonia gradually came more and more undone with each second.  "'A g-guardian angel of the animals... now and f-forevermore.'"  
  
Sonia could barely get through reading what she wrote on his tombstone before she started crying.  Without thinking for a second, Kazuichi descended upon Sonia to comfort her.  He fully expected her to make an excuse for not needing his help, but he was shocked when she held him closer with a bone-crushing grip.  Unable to really do anything until she let him go, Kazuichi whispered some barely audible, slightly labored sweet nothings into her ear to try and calm her down.  The onlookers all felt terrible for both of them.  Not only was it hard to watch Sonia be so upset over Gundham's death, but it was equally difficult to see how much she was still friendzoning Kazuichi in the process.  
  
"I don't think we need to say anything here." Kazuichi said, still holding Sonia.  "Could someone else do the prayer and decoration while she calms down?"  
  
Kazuichi walked Sonia off to the side, sitting on the front steps to the nearest cottage's entrance to keep trying to console her.  Fuyuhiko took out a lighter from his jacket pocket and lit a stick of incense.  He gave it to Akane, who did the prayer and decorated Gundham's grave with a lotus flower.  Next, Fuyuhiko volunteered to set up Nagito's headstone for Kazuichi, who was in charge of writing a message under Nagito's name.  
  
"'Here lies Nagito Komaeda.'" Fuyuhiko's tone turned expectant towards the end as he realized that Kazuichi never got beyond the first sentence.  Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he picked up a marker left at Akane's work station, and wrote a message of his own.  "'That's one crazy motherfucker.'  There.  That should sum it up."  
  
Akane giggled when she read the message.  Hajime would have reacted if there wasn't so much on his mind.  He did the prayer and the flower this time.  Sonia and Kazuichi returned when Hajime finished up with Nagito's prayer and decoration.    
  
"Okay, we're back.  Sorry it took a while." Kazuichi said.  "And sorry to whoever had to read Nagito's message.  I didn't finish it because I didn't know what to say."  
  
"I finished it up for you." Fuyuhiko handed Kazuichi his marker back.  Kazuichi went up to read and nearly fell over laughing at how terse and crude the comment left was.  Finally, only one gravestone remained, and everyone knew exactly whose it was.  Hajime took Chiaki's headstone and put it in the last hole.  Ever since the mass funeral started, Hajime had a sinking feeling in his chest, and now it was abundantly clear why.  Remembering Chiaki left him with many fond memories.  As far as he was concerned, Chiaki was his first love, but neither of them were cognizant of that in the moment.  Part of him regretted that they didn't go very far, but given her personality, it wouldn't have worked out well if he tried rushing things with her.  Being friends with Chiaki also brought the most intense pain he had ever experienced in his life.  Specifically, learning that she wasn't actually real at all was a major blow to Hajime's heart.  Even though he had moved onto Fuyuhiko romantically, in the same way that his boyfriend wasn't over Peko quite yet, Hajime didn't feel like he was completely over Chiaki yet.  Once Chiaki's headstone was secured, Hajime did the prayer and decoration first, then addressed everyone else for Chiaki's eulogy.  
  
"I wrote, 'Here lies Chiaki Nanami.  She was more than just a program.  She was, and will always be, a friend.'" Hajime tried his hardest to hold it together and not break down, but some tears were starting to trickle down his face.  "Chiaki was one of my best friends throughout the whole game.  She helped me in out during the trials, and she always supported the survivors no matter who they were.  I realize that she might be the only one we can't bring back, but...  I firmly believe that if it's possible for us to mine our friends' data and return it to their bodies, then it should be possible for us to extract Chiaki's data and turn it into a person, if not an AI.  So please, don't forget about her.  I know it'll make our journey much harder, but if we have everyone together, it'll be much more rewarding."  
  
"Hajime..." Sonia looked to the grave that had just been finished, then to the man who just assembled it.  Standing next to the line of graves, Hajime looked like a general who had just finished burying his colleagues who were lost in war.  His face was stern, but the tears that were trickling down his cheeks indicated he was intensely emotional as well.  He walked back to his spot next to Fuyuhiko to look at the final result of their work.  There was a morbid, yet beautiful rhyme to the symmetry of the graves' designs.  After taking some time to look at the graves, Hajime spoke up again.  
  
"Thank you all for coming and helping out in spite of your busy lives.  It means a lot that we can all do this together.  However, remember that this isn't the end.  We still haven't talked to the Future Foundation yet.  Once we have marshalled all of our forces, the journey will pick up right where we'll leave it off today.  Whatever you do, don't give up.  If we could find an escape for ourselves, we can find a way to save our friends." Hajime looked around.  Although people were still grieving, the determination in his voice seemed to light a fire in their eyes.  "I... can't make any promises about who we can recover or how many we can recover, but once we get the data mining process started, I'll do my best to make sure we explore every possible avenue.  That, I can promise you."  
  
Everyone was silent, but the sentiment of mutual support was in the air.  Nobody called for any official moments of silence to remember the dead, but given the heavy air, it didn't sound like anybody needed to ask people to be silent for there to be silence.  They spent a few minutes remembering the good times, when everyone was still alive and the reality of the game hadn't set in.  
  
"Okay...  So now that we're done here... now what?" Kazuichi asked.  
  
"I didn't think that far ahead." Hajime admitted.  "For me, it all depends on whether Fuyuhiko wants to stay or not."  
  
"I suppose we should return home." Sonia suggested.  "But first, I would like to invite everyone onto the royal flagship for a meal.  I would like to introduce all of you to the cuisine of Novoselic."  
  
"Sweet, I'm game!" Akane's eyes lit up.  "All this grieving and sadness made me forget how hungry I actually am right now."  
  
"I had food on the plane we flew in on, but we can stop by to spend time with you." Fuyuhiko took Hajime's hand.  
  
"You know me.  I got no plans.  Let's eat!" Kazuichi led the way across the bridge.  Sonia and Akane chased after him, leaving Fuyuhiko and Hajime behind.  
  
"Hey, there's one more thing I want to ask you that I didn't get to say when we were in the jungle clearing." Hajime started walking at a more leisurely pace than the others, and Fuyuhiko followed.  
  
"Fire away." Fuyuhiko could feel that Hajime's hand was still clammy.  He guessed that it was probably from dredged-up memories of losing Chiaki.  
  
"If we save Peko... what's going to happen to... y'know, us?" Hajime asked.  "I don't want to make it sound like I'm forcing you to stay with me if you don't want to, but I had to ask.  It's been bugging me ever since the idea of data mining the Neo World Program came up."  
  
"Nothing's gonna happen." Fuyuhiko replied.  Hajime stopped and did a mental double-take.  
  
"W-What?" Hajime couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
"I'm not leaving you.  Even if we can save Peko." Fuyuhiko held Hajime's one hand in both of his.  "I care about her, but it's not the same kind of relationship as what you and I have.  What about you and Chiaki?  I thought you two had something special or some shit like that."  
  
"We did, but... I don't think it'll be anything more than a close platonic relationship.  Same goes for Mikan." Hajime answered Fuyuhiko's question.  He didn't care that they were being left behind again.  
  
"So I guess that means you feel the same way about us, don't you?" Fuyuhiko locked eyes with Hajime, bringing one of his hands up to gently caress Hajime's face.  
  
"Yeah.  I do." Hajime smiled.  "I love you, Fuyuhiko.  There's nobody else I'd rather be with than you."  
  
"Me too, Hajime.  I love you too." Fuyuhiko brought Hajime's face closer and kissed him.  When they separated, they spent a moment to just look into each other's eyes and drink in each other's company.  The moment was then abruptly interrupted when Kazuichi started shouting from the beach side of the bridge.  
  
"HEY!  YOU EATING OR NOT?!" his voice echoed, promptly snapping Fuyuhiko and Hajime back into reality.  "QUIT LAGGING AND HURRY UP!"  
  
"Shit, let's go." Fuyuhiko started running and pulling Hajime behind him.  
  
"W-Wait!  Ow!  My shoulder!" Hajime was startled at the sudden tug on his arm and ran with Fuyuhiko until they made it to the other side of the bridge.  After Kazuichi barraged them with questions about what they were doing on the other side of the bridge that was making them take so long, the five of them boarded the royal flagship.


	3. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a KuzuHina smut chapter. I bet this is what all of you came here for, you pervs. Enjoy!

After a five-course dinner prepared by Sonia's servants, everyone made their way to the main deck of the flagship to relax and have fun.  Sonia was sitting by the main deck's Olympic sized pool watching Akane swim laps, and off to the side, the boys were relaxing in a nearby hot tub.  
  
"Don't you wish we could do this every day?" Kazuichi slouched down into the water.  
  
"Not really." Fuyuhiko replied.  "I need a little more activity.  Gotta get up and get the blood flowing, y'know what I mean?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Hajime chimed in.  "I'm not really good at sports, but I still try to run every day for an hour."  
  
"You guys belong over there with Akane." Kazuichi pointed, seeing that Akane was still going strong despite it having been fifteen minutes since she started swimming.  
  
"Yeah, no.  I'm not that crazy." Fuyuhiko scoffed.  The entire hot tub had a good laugh out of that.  
  
"Anyway, can we talk about what happened on the bridge?" Kazuichi changed the subject.  "I kept asking you what was taking so long, and nobody was giving me a clear answer.  What gives?"  
  
"Why the fuck does it matter to you what we were doing anyway?" Fuyuhiko jumped in before Hajime got any words in.  "Didn't your parents teach you not to poke your nose where it doesn't belong, Sharkboy?"  
  
"Fuyuhiko, come on.  Don't make a mountain of a molehill.  He's just curious." Hajime gently rubbed Fuyuhiko's shoulder, trying to placate him.  "I guess what he means to say is that the way you were asking your questions seemed invasive."  
  
"I personally didn't think I was prying too much." Kazuichi responded.  "I mean, I've got no boundaries when it comes to conversation."  
  
"But you can't expect that out of everyone." Hajime explained.  "You may be that way, and for better or for worse, I might be that way too, but Fuyuhiko isn't.  I don't think you should force him to be an open book if he doesn't want that."  
  
Fuyuhiko gently squeezed Hajime's arm and rubbed against him affectionately to thank him.  
  
"Yeah, sorry." Kazuichi backed down.  "I can't help wanting to know."  
  
"It's fine." Fuyuhiko muttered.  "Just watch it next time."  
  
"S-Sure." Kazuichi stammered.  More awkward silence followed.  They looked over, and Akane had switched over from doing laps to playing water polo with Sonia.  How they were doing a team sport with just one person per team was beyond any of the guys' understanding, but it seemed like they were having a lot of fun.  Fuyuhiko returned to his thoughts while Hajime and Kazuichi were still watching the girls play their game.  He almost felt bad for shooting down Kazuichi in the manner he did just for being curious about their relationship.  After all, he knew he could trust the guy based on how he stayed with the group cause until the end of the killing game.  Once Kazuichi and Hajime were done people-watching, Fuyuhiko made his next move.  
  
"Y'know what?  I've been avoiding tough questions all day, so lemme answer yours about me and Hajime.  I don't think you're a bad guy, and I probably overreacted a little a few minutes ago." Fuyuhiko sat up.  
  
"Really?" Kazuichi perked up.  "Are you sure you're okay doing that?"  
  
"Yeah.  I thought it through, and I figured it would have to be said at some point, so why keep delaying the inevitable?" Fuyuhiko continued.  "I'm just gonna ask you one thing.  Don't go around in public shooting your mouth off about this, okay?"  
  
"Promise." Kazuichi scooted to the side, sandwiching Fuyuhiko between himself and Hajime.  
  
"The moment on the bridge actually started when Sonia made us go collect support beams and flower decorations for the graves." Fuyuhiko pulled Hajime closer to him.  "This guy was having trouble finding flowers on the beach, so I took him in the jungle and cut a path to this random clearing with a pond full of lotus blossoms.  I cut some for him, and just as I offered them to him, we both realized how corny and romantic it looked, so we had a laugh about that."  
  
Fuyuhiko looked at Hajime expectantly.  Not expecting to be included, Hajime took a moment to find his bearings before continuing Fuyuhiko's story.  
  
"A-Anyway, he tells me afterward that he's ready to talk about our relationship in more detail after avoiding the same question previously on our flight to the island.  I tell him I have something I want to say too, and we decide to say it together." Hajime took Fuyuhiko's hand underwater and looked at him with a hopeful smile.  Fuyuhiko returned with a nod of understanding, and they recreated what happened in the jungle clearing.  
  
"I think I'm in love with you." they said at the same time.  Kazuichi looked on in awe of how cute the story was.  However, he knew that it wasn't quite over yet, so he remained focused.  
  
"After that... he took my first kiss." Hajime's face flushed a bright red between recalling the most romantic moment of the story and being in hot, steamy water.  "I was worried about fucking up, but him being calm all throughout helped me stay calm."  
  
"C'mon, don't be modest about it.  You were pretty good for it being your first kiss." Fuyuhiko grinned.  "Now, let's fast forward to the end of the funeral.  Hajime asked me another question, but this time, it was about our plan to data mine the Neo World Program.  He was scared that I was going to leave him if we were able to successfully recover Peko."  
  
"Wait, you and Peko were an item?" Kazuichi was confused.  "What's going on?"  
  
"No, we weren't.  Our relationship is—well, was—mostly professional, and even if she does return, it'll likely stay that way." Fuyuhiko held Hajime close to him for effect.  "I don't love her any less.  It's just that the relationship we have is different from the relationship I have with Hajime."  
  
"Makes sense." Kazuichi leaned back to warm up his back after it got a little chilly while watching Sonia and Akane playing games together.  "Go on."  
  
"So, we have this talk on the bridge, and Fuyuhiko promises me that he wouldn't leave me even if we recovered Peko successfully." Hajime picked up from where the story left off on the previous tangent about Peko.  "He then asks me about Chiaki, and I pretty much give the same answer."  
  
"Wait, are we getting to the part where I interrupt you yet?" Kazuichi asked.  
  
"Yeah.  It's coming up next." Hajime replied.  "So, we have another sappy romantic moment and kiss again, then you shout at us to hurry the fuck up or something, and here we are now."  
  
"Oh, I see." Kazuichi was enthralled by the three-act tale that had just unfurled in front of him.  "Thanks for answering my question.  Sorry if I was too invasive earlier."  
  
"It's fine." Hajime reassured him.  "We both forgive you, so it's all water under the bridge now."  
  
"I'm glad that you two found happiness in each other." Kazuichi sighed.  "I just wish I was that lucky."  
  
"Lemme guess.  Even with Gundham dead, Sonia still can't stop thinking about him, right?" Fuyuhiko asked.  
  
"Now look who's being invasive." Kazuichi lightly punched Fuyuhiko in the shoulder before laughing it off.  "But yeah.  Call me jealous or whatever, but I don't get what she sees in him.  Other than his voice, his sensitivity, his piercing eyes, his see-through—"  
  
"Whoa, that took an unexpected turn." Fuyuhiko interrupted him.  "Are you sure you're in love with Sonia and not Gundham?  From what you're saying, it sounds like you've got it twisted."  
  
"W-Wait, it's not what you think!  I just..." Kazuichi trailed off.  "God, this is awkward."  
  
"Hey, it's not abnormal to look at other guys like that." Hajime tried to sound reassuring.  "I mean, look at us for example.  Don't you realize that we just came out to you right in front of your face?"  
  
"Wait, you're telling me you were gay the whole time?!" Kazuichi seemed genuinely caught off-guard because he was too focused on the narrative of the story to put two and two together.  Hajime face-palmed.  
  
"Are you fucking serious?" Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes.  "Of course we are.  What else could we possibly be?"  
  
"Uhh...  Not dead?" Kazuichi still didn't get it.  
  
"You're fucking hopeless, you know that, right?" Fuyuhiko groaned.  "Seriously, what's with you?  Have you never met a gay person in your life?"  
  
"Actually, yeah." Kazuichi twiddled his thumbs sheepishly.  "You'd be my first gay friends."  
  
"So you've never met any gay guys, even in Hawaii?" Hajime asked.  "Geez, it's like you're purposely trying to seek out straight people."  
  
"Well, that's kinda the point." Kazuichi said.  "I... have a thing for straight guys."  
  
The tub went silent again.  Kazuichi was convinced he had royally fucked up and slowly sank lower and lower in the water, not wanting to be seen.  
  
"That... explains a lot, actually." Fuyuhiko broke the silence, and Kazuichi came up again.  "So you spend all this time around girls so you can get closer to other guys who like girls, right?"  
  
Kazuichi's brain seemed to short out as he tried to process what Fuyuhiko said.  
  
"Repeat that, please." Kazuichi sighed.  
  
"Do you act like a straight guy to get close to other straight guys?" Fuyuhiko tried again.  
  
"Yeah." Kazuichi answered.  "I guess it's about wanting something you can't have, because that's a running theme with Sonia too."  
  
"That makes sense." Hajime said.  "So I guess that makes you bisexual?"  
  
"Correctamundo." Kazuichi smiled softly.  "I figured that out a few years ago when I snuck out to a club for a Tinder date with some girl and unknowingly got into a threesome with her and her boyfriend.  He sucked me off while she rode him, and after she fell asleep, I fucked him.  Told me it was the first time he took it in the ass.  It was pretty fun."  
  
"And you said nothing of this during the game?" Hajime asked.  
  
"I could ask you the same question." Kazuichi fired back with a question of his own.  "Were you out before the game?"  
  
"No." Hajime replied.  "I was in the closet, but not for being bullied.  I needed to work through my feelings, and as crazy as he was, Nagito actually helped with that a lot since he was already out."  
  
"What exactly did he teach you?" Kazuichi asked.  
  
"I dunno.  Not to give a fuck about anyone, I guess?" Hajime answered.  "It's not that he taught me that directly.  I learned that from observing how he acted.  It seemed like everyone gave him a free pass to be weird and borderline psycho because of how little he cared about others' opinions."  
  
"Even now, I still don't know what his role was in the grander scheme of the game." Kazuichi added.  "Anyway, that's my story.  I'll fuck guys if I feel like it, but I like fucking straight guys most."  
  
There was a brief pause before someone else spoke up.  
  
"Thanks for sharing." Fuyuhiko chuckled.  "I feel like I get you a little better now."  
  
"I don't mind sharing.  I enjoy it." Kazuichi responded.  "I should be thanking you again for being willing to tell me your story."  
  
"It's nothing." Fuyuhiko grinned.  
  
"So..." Hajime chimed in.  "Were there any other guys you were interested in besides Gundham?"  
  
"That speedo Nidai wore to the beach continues to haunt me to this day." Kazuichi faked the dramatic tone of his response.  "But yeah, I'd totally love him for free.  I'd kill to have a partner who gives good massages."  
  
"Agreed." Hajime said.  "What about Nagito?  Was he too crazy for you?"  
  
"I think he was too crazy for anyone." Fuyuhiko replied.  "I wouldn't touch him, even if you paid me."  
  
"I dunno.  I kinda like that danger." Hajime shrugged.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind." Fuyuhiko made a mental note of that as one of Hajime's potential kinks.  
  
"I thought Nagito was a complete basket case." Kazuichi chimed in.  "That plan he strung together to kill us all was fucking nuts.  I will say I was curious about how he was behind all that obsession with hope."  
  
"Trust me.  That is the real Nagito." Hajime sighed.  "What about Teruteru?"  
  
"He's a real man, that guy." Kazuichi responded.  "Maybe I'm just fucked up, but I didn't mind the drugs and shit.  I had a bowl of spiked soup, and I blew five hours jacking it in my room."  
  
"Uhh...  That's good?" Fuyuhiko seemed a little disgusted.  "Whatever works for you."  
  
"A-Anyway...  That's it, I guess.  Other than the fake Byakuya, but I don't have much to say there." Hajime tried to move the conversation along, but he realized that they were about to hit a dead end.  
  
"Hey, look!  The girls are coming over!" Kazuichi suddenly perked up.  True to what he said, the girls seemed to be done with their game and were heading to the hot tub to relax.  Sonia came in first, then Akane.  They sat across from the boys.  
  
"You've been in there for a while." Akane noted.  "Aren't you hot?"  
  
"Am I not already~?  What do you think, Sonia?" Kazuichi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.  Akane rolled her eyes, and Sonia desperately tried to find a way to change the topic.  
  
"H-How are you enjoying yourselves?" Sonia asked, shifting her attention to Hajime.  
  
"We're having fun." Hajime put his arms behind Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi.  "We just had some male bonding time."  
  
"I heard." Sonia said.  "I had no idea you were open to relationships with other men."  
  
"I knew." Akane snickered.  "Especially with this one."  
  
Akane looked directly at Hajime, who suddenly looked around to see that everyone's eyes were on him.  
  
"Was it really that obvious during the game?" Hajime asked.  
  
"I honestly thought that you and Nagito were a thing.  The only one who went out of their way to talk to him was you, and he was pretty shamelessly attached to you because of that, don't you think?" Akane explained.  "Besides, even when he tried to kill us all by setting up that trap, you still believed that there was some kind of humanity to him."  
  
"Well, that's because there is still humanity to him.  I could really say that about anyone." Hajime said.  "Even if he has strange quirks, he still has things he cares about.  It's just a shame that nobody really gave him a chance and relegated him to the role of the token insane person."  
  
"Really...?" Sonia seemed confused.  "I don't know what to say, especially if his death was specifically made unsolvable for the purpose of bringing us all down with him."  
  
"I also feel Hiyoko needed another chance." Hajime continued.  "Family politics are always messy, and it's just too bad that nobody in her life treated her like a human.  If she had a loving childhood, she wouldn't have that 'strike first, don't get stricken' mentality, I believe."  
  
"I can relate to that." Fuyuhiko rested his head against Hajime.  "A lot of my relatives weren't happy that I was next in line to be boss, and it's not like I have control over that.  I think Hiyoko's like that too as the heir of her house."  
  
"You're all about those second chances, aren't you?" Kazuichi stretched his body.  "You're too pure-hearted for your own good, sometimes."  
  
"That's not bad, is it?" Hajime seemed concerned.  
  
"Not really." Fuyuhiko came to his rescue.  "I've learned a lot from talking to you and understanding how you work.  You've got strong morals, and I like that."  
  
"Get a room already, you two." Akane pretended to get out of the hot tub as if to allow Fuyuhiko and Hajime more privacy.  Everyone shared a good laugh after Hajime's face immediately flushed.  The conversations carried on in that manner for the remainder of the evening.  Everyone reminisced about the good memories they made in the game as well as their hopes for their plan to bring everyone back via data mining.  Before long, the sun had set on their eventful day.  Once people started nodding off, Fuyuhiko and Hajime decided that that was the best time to get going.

* * *

After Akane had to put Kazuichi to bed on a pool chair with towels as his blankets, sheets, and pillow because she was completely unwilling to undress and wash him after he fell asleep in the hot tub, everyone else had dried off and gathered their belongings from the pool area.  Sonia, Hajime, and Fuyuhiko were now at the back of the ship on a special deck on the lowest floor of the ship made for smaller water-bound vehicles like jet skis, motorboats, and kayaks.  Sonia arranged for her servants to drive Fuyuhiko and Hajime back to the plane they flew in on.  Before they got on, Fuyuhiko shook hands with Sonia, and Hajime gave her a hug.  
  
"Thank you so much for bringing everyone else to the island with us." Hajime said while holding her in his arms.  "It... means a lot to me."  
  
"The pleasure was all mine." Sonia responded, stepping back when Hajime let her go.  "I felt so bad leaving it to you and Fuyuhiko, but we realistically couldn't stay on the island forever."  
  
"I know." Hajime's tone turned solemn.  "I...  I wanted it to be that way, but I knew it wasn't viable in the long term.  Even if our past wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, I would be remiss not to give the people from my past closure before I run off, never to be seen again."  
  
"Forgive me for springing this on you suddenly, but does the information we learned from Junko's AI bother you still?" Sonia asked, her smile fading a little.  "I... still don't really know whether to think it's true or not."  
  
"It does still bother me.  But not as much as it used to." Hajime answered.  "I guess the main thing that changed is that Fuyuhiko is now in my life.  I can't really go back to being an average guy anymore, especially now that I'm a friend of a yakuza clan.  I guess I just need to find my place in his world."  
  
Sonia's smile returned.  
  
"Please... be careful out there." Sonia gently held Hajime's hand.  "Even if you are a team, there will be things that you cannot easily overcome as a unit.  In times like that, remember me, Akane, and Kazuichi.  We'll always fight by your side, even if it means fighting people who mean a lot to us.  Nobody can claim to going through the same experiences that we have.  Even participants in other versions of the killing game do not have that right."  
  
Hajime's face turned a little pink at the sudden contact.  Interpreting Hajime's embarrassment as being spurred on from his relationship status with Fuyuhiko, Sonia released Hajime's hand bashfully.  
  
"Thanks, Sonia." Hajime got on the boat with Fuyuhiko, who had been sitting there the entire time waiting for Hajime to hurry up, but not saying anything.  "Take care."  
  
"Farewell!  Please send me a correspondence soon!" Sonia waved goodbye as the engine of the motorboat roared to life and propelled them away.  Hajime waved until he couldn't see Sonia any longer.  The boat ride was as silent as it could be for a boat ride.  Neither Fuyuhiko nor Hajime spoke a word until they reached the dock for the main island, where Sonia's servants escorted them to the airport to hand them off to Fuyuhiko's henchmen.  They boarded and sat at the poker table for a little, looking at each other awkwardly.  
  
"Is this about Sonia?" Hajime asked, trying to be as direct as he could as not to be misunderstood.  
  
"K-Kinda." Fuyuhiko was blushing.  
  
"I'm sorry about that.  I wasn't expecting it at all." Hajime said.  "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."  
  
"I'm not hurt.  I'm just... jealous, I guess." Fuyuhiko replied.  "I guess since we're boyfriends now, I think... I'm starting to get overprotective of you."  
  
"That's... not a bad thing." Hajime took Fuyuhiko into his arms when he started inching closer expectantly.  "What's with you today?  You've been acting really needy all day today.  I mean, all those kisses you stole throughout the day couldn't have come from nothing, right?"  
  
"And they don't." Fuyuhiko gently pushed Hajime so he was laying on his back on the poker table seating.  The angle was awkward, but it was the best Fuyuhiko could manage right now.  He could feel the heat radiating off of Hajime's skin and transferring to his body.  Even though they were still in their swimsuits, neither of them seemed to care.  
  
"F-Fuyuhiko..." Hajime looked straight into Fuyuhiko's eyes.  The scar on his right side was a constant reminder of the atrocities they had lived through.  Even with surgery that saved his vision, the pain from that time could never be erased.  Whenever Fuyuhiko's expression turned serious, the scar on his face made him look even more serious than he was intending to come off.  
  
"Hajime.  I want to ask you something." Fuyuhiko's face was only inches away from Hajime's.  "Will you... sleep with me tonight?"  
  
"In what way?" Hajime asked.  "I'd be happy to share a bed with you.  Or do you mean...?"  
  
"Yeah, that.  And the sleeping in the same bed part too." Fuyuhiko was losing control fast.  The air around them had gotten hot and heavy, and he wasn't sure how much he or Hajime would last just looking at each other.    
  
"Y-Yeah...  I can do that too." Hajime responded.  He barely had time to think before Fuyuhiko went in for a hungry, possessive kiss.  Whatever was holding him back before seemed to be gone now.  Fuyuhiko would have wanted to change positions, but they were limited by where they were.  Once they separated for air, Fuyuhiko slid off of Hajime.  
  
"C'mon.  We're going to bed.  We gotta do this right." he practically lifted Hajime out of the poker table seating and dragged him to the nearest first class suite.  Once they were both in, Fuyuhiko closed the door behind them before practically tackling Hajime onto the bed, kissing him once more.  Hands traveled every which way, trying to soak up as much contact as they possibly could.  Both Hajime and Fuyuhiko hastily tugged at each other's swimsuits, practically ripping them off of their bodies out of pure desire for what was underneath.  Achieving the full skin-on-skin contact they desired only spurred them on further, their motions becoming increasingly wanton and daring.  Where their hands first started higher towards the face and torso, they were now traveling lower and lower.  Just as Fuyuhiko's hand was about to go below the top of Hajime's V-lines, there was a knock at the door, forcing them to stop.  Fuyuhiko grumbled out some curses under his breath before taking a swimsuit from the pile and putting it on.  Based on the fact that it was a pair of board shorts rather than low rise briefs, he assumed that he took Hajime's swimsuit.  The guest at the door was the pilot, but it didn't seem like he wanted to keep Fuyuhiko for too long, especially after his gaze met Hajime's.  Fuyuhiko was moderately amused with the blush that spread over his pilot's face and wholly satisfied when he promptly excused himself from the scene.  Once he was gone, Fuyuhiko came back to the bed, shutting the door behind him.  
  
"Sorry.  Bitchass pilot didn't know how to mind his own fucking business." Fuyuhiko mumbled, taking Hajime's swimsuit off and tossing it aside.  
  
"It's okay.  I'm still waiting with bated breath~" Hajime beckoned Fuyuhiko to come closer, holding him tightly against his warm body.  "Need a little help after we were so rudely interrupted~?  I want to try something that'll make us both feel good."  
  
"O-Okay.  Whaddya wanna do?" Fuyuhiko asked.    
  
"Just trust me.  Let me know if you want to stop for any reason." Hajime turned Fuyuhiko around on top of him.  In this new position, Hajime's dick was at level with Fuyuhiko's face and vice versa.  Fuyuhiko was understandably soft, but that wasn't going to be a problem much longer.  Hajime first used his hands to coax him back to hardness before stretching his neck upward to start sucking on Fuyuhiko's cock.  Fuyuhiko didn't really have to do much with his hands on his end since Hajime was already hard, so he went straight to sucking.  Their moans created wonderful vibrations around the other's dick, which only pushed them to do it more passionately.  When they had built up a good enough rhythm, Hajime started coaxing Fuyuhiko's hips downward until his entrance was in easy reach.  He then refocused his efforts into eating his boyfriend out, a sensation that Fuyuhiko wasn't at all used to as evidenced by the borderline squeak his voice made when Hajime started rimming him.  Fuyuhiko stopped sucking to fully lean back and sit on Hajime's face, wanting to feel Hajime's voice vibrating against his hole.  Hajime was in complete heaven, feeling Fuyuhiko's hole puckering and relaxing rhythmically against his tongue.  While Fuyuhiko was blissed out on the rimjob, Hajime spat on some of his fingers and carefully worked them into his smaller boyfriend's hole.  From the cries that Fuyuhiko let out, Hajime could tell that he was not used to it, but very receptive to the new sensations.  He waited until Fuyuhiko relaxed a little more to add another finger.  Eventually, Fuyuhiko got impatient.  
  
"F-Fucking stop it." Fuyuhiko moaned.  "I... I want you already."  
  
"Damn, Fuyuhiko.  So pushy, even in sex.  Just lemme stretch you out some more first." Hajime started trying to sit up and change positions, but Fuyuhiko held him down.  
  
"If we're gonna go all the way, we're doing it my way." Fuyuhiko growled, reaching around and removing Hajime's fingers from inside him.  "Don't fucking move until I tell you to."  
  
Fuyuhiko didn't waste any time lining himself up with Hajime's cock.  He made sure he was lined up facing Hajime before going down straight to the hilt in one movement.  Fuyuhiko let out a cry at the sudden intrusion.  It did hurt a little bit, but he secretly really enjoyed that.  However, what he enjoyed even more than that was seeing Hajime coming undone beneath him.  Hajime was barely holding on, his eyes screwed shut from the overwhelming sensations he was experiencing.  And to think that he was still obeying the command not to buck up against him satisfied Fuyuhiko's lust for control.  
  
"F-Fuyu... hiko...!" Hajime moaned out his lover's name, a look of desperation in his eyes.  "P-Please!  Let me move!  F-Fuck!"  
  
"Mmmh...  You're fucking huge, Hajime~" Fuyuhiko bent down to give Hajime a sloppy kiss.  "Such a good boy~  You'll get yours soon~"  
  
Hajime could only whine in response as Fuyuhiko continued to test his staying power.  Fuyuhiko's pace was ruthless, especially for the position he was in.  Fuyuhiko himself was on cloud nine, his senses hazy from pleasure as well as control.  A few minutes later, Fuyuhiko decided to let Hajime in on the action.  
  
"Y'know what?  You've been such a good boy, I'll let you fuck me in earnest." Fuyuhiko's words were interrupted with intermittent pants and moans.  Once he was given the word, Hajime started bucking up into Fuyuhiko, causing the young boss to cry out even louder.  Both of them were past the point of coherence, only able to make noises that sounded like the other's name.  Eventually, Hajime was moving so fast that he couldn't even feel his hips moving anymore.  Fuyuhiko looked down at Hajime with a cocky grin on his face.  
  
"Y-Yeah, you love this, don't you?  You fucking love this, don't you?!" Fuyuhiko barked.  "Getting off from being ordered around like this...  You're fucking shameless, y'know~?"  
  
Hajime could barely form a response as he held on tightly to Fuyuhiko's hips.  The smaller boy was tightening around him as he got closer and closer to the edge.  
  
"F-Fuck!  Shit!  Gonna cum...!" Fuyuhiko gasped.  
  
"M-Me too!" Hajime bit down hard.  "F-Fuyuhiko!"  
  
"That's fucking right~  Pump your hot seed in me~  Hajime!" Fuyuhiko came down one last time, cumming all over Hajime's chest and stomach.  He tightened around Hajime's erection inside him, bringing his partner to his climax as well.  Both of them were still for a while, taking the moment to revel in each other and catch their breath.  After pulling himself off of Hajime's dick, Fuyuhiko collapsed on top of him, sliding a little bit to the side from the sweat covering both of their bodies.  They shared a serene, romantic glance and a sweet, chaste kiss.  
  
"That was... amazing." Hajime was still catching his breath.  "You're a kinky little shit, you know that?"  
  
"Heh.  I guess it took the right kind of guy to bring that out in me." Fuyuhiko chuckled.  "I like being in control, and you like taking orders, so it was a match made in heaven."  
  
They spent a few minutes cuddling before Hajime noticed how dirty they had gotten.  
  
"Hey...  I haven't used the shower rooms yet.  Want to come with me?" he asked.  
  
"I thought you'd never ask.  We can go to the steam room after." Fuyuhiko tried to stand up, but he had trouble after the bed-breaking sex he and Hajime just had.  Hajime opted to carry him bridal style to the shower room, not caring that he was walking through the halls of the aircraft naked.  Once they made it to the shower, Hajime got to work immediately.  He wasted no time scrubbing the sweat, grime, and chemicals from Sonia's hot tub water off of them.  After a relatively quick shower, Hajime carried Fuyuhiko to the steam room across the aisle.  They sat in the blissful warmth of the sauna while Hajime gave Fuyuhiko a massage to further ease his muscle pain.  After that, Hajime took Fuyuhiko back to bed with him, closing the door and locking it behind them before flopping onto the bed and getting himself under the covers.  Fuyuhiko slid next to him, and Hajime held him against his body in a spooning position.  
  
"I wish we could stay like this forever." Hajime whispered.  "No responsibilities, no work...  Just you and me."  
  
"We still can't rest yet.  You said so yourself." Fuyuhiko ran a hand through Hajime's hair.  "We've still gotta put together a data mining team and talk to the Future Foundation about accessing the Neo World Program."  
  
"I never thought pillow talk could be a chore." Hajime joked.  "But yeah, I know what you mean.  We're still not done yet.  I'm going to reach out to Makoto when we come back home.  I promise."  
  
"I'll hold you to it." Fuyuhiko turned his head back to kiss Hajime.  
  
"But for now, just let me enjoy this." Hajime rested his head on Fuyuhiko's shoulder.  "I didn't think I would ever find love, but... here I am, holding the man who singlehandedly changed my life and gave me new hope."  
  
"You're such a fucking sap, Hajime." Fuyuhiko chuckled.  "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Fuyuhiko." Hajime said, a soft tenderness to his voice.  "Don't ever leave my side.  Please."  
  
"Don't plan to." Fuyuhiko replied. "Good night, you big lug."  
  
"Good night to you too, love." Hajime gave Fuyuhiko one last kiss before he cut the lights.  A few minutes later, they drifted off to sleep right as the plane was ready to leave the gate.  The plane took off while the couple slept, propelling them forward into the next phase of their plan.  All that was left to do was call up the Future Foundation and make a convincing case, but that could wait until they woke up the next morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I ended up liking KuzuHina much more than I initially anticipated. I thought their free-time events were really cute, and the Dangan Island ending was even more amazing than I had ever hoped. This story started out as one long KuzuHina oneshot that went completely off the rails. Everything has already been planned out, and it will be released sequentially. I'm not used to writing like this, so please be reasonable. I have a NaeGami story that I'm planning to add to this series that builds off of the world established in this story, so be on the lookout!


End file.
